Contrary to the current popular perception, reaping health, fitness and lifestyle benefits from exercise isn’t contingent on following a gym routine or chugging creatine. While these practices can be important to achieve a specific fitness goal, it is actually ingraining simple, yet active, habits throughout your daily routine that makes healthiness maintainable and thus beneficial long-term.

The century-long lifespans of “Blue Zone” inhabitants demonstrate the link between lifestyle habits and health longevity. 

Blue Zones refer to geographic areas around the globe which foster some of the oldest individuals in the world, according to Healthline. Moreover, these people living well into their 90s and even past the age of 100 seem to follow similar lifestyles where exercise is built into each day through habits such as walking to work, gardening and completing chores. 

“Interestingly, genetics probably only account for 20–30% of longevity,” the Healthline article reads. “Therefore, environmental influences, including diet and lifestyle, play a huge role in determining your lifespan.” 

If your fitness goals concern improving your overall health, it is important to consider which route to take to implement exercise into your life – a purposeful gym routine or an active lifestyle?